LIMA – Peru’s President Ollanta Humala announced a $477 million-package for the construction of 10 water sewage treatment plants to decontaminate Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, on the Peru and Bolivia border.

“We are working on Puno’s great dream, the treatment plants to decontaminate Lake Titicaca,” Humala declared.

Humala said the ministry of production will also be promoting aquaculture in the region as part of his government’s earlier offer to invest over $1.43 billion towards the development of Puno.

Speaking at a meeting in the city of Moho in Puno, Humala said he will be withdrawing the concession of 83 hectares of the lake to a trout breeding company, owing to objection raised by the people.

“We need to create a culture of aquaculture but for the citizens of Puno; we need to breed trout and not wait for foreigners to come and show us how,” the leader elaborated.

Humala announced a series of infrastructure in Puno, a day before the binational cabinet meeting with the Evo Morales-led government of Bolivia on Tuesday.

Enter your email address to subscribe to free headlines (and great cartoons so every email has a happy ending!) from the Latin American Herald Tribune: